Test your speed, reflexes and boating knowledge with the Corps' new Lake Guard game app. The free app teaches users about water safety gear and boating hazards preparing them for real life experiences in or around the water.

The Missouri River Basin Balancer offers insight into the inland waterway of the Missouri River and its system of reservoirs, which are operated with a goal for serving each of the benefits, flood control, navigation, hydropower, irrigation, water supply, recreation, fish and wildlife, and water quality, for which the Mainstem reservoirs were authorized and constructed. Users can take charge of river operations and experience the unique challenges presented when managing reservoir operations in a variety of weather conditions across a geographically diverse basin.

Chatfield dam and reservoir are owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps leases 5,381 land and water acres to the State of Colorado Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation to operate Chatfield State Park.

Lake Francis Case and Fort Randall Dam are located within the rolling plain of the Missouri Plateau, and bordered by rugged bluffs, broken by a complex of eroded canyons and ravines and has become one of the most popular recreation spots in the Great Plains.
Fort Randall Dam lies within view of the military post from which it takes its name. The name of the original fort honored Colonel Daniel W. Randall, one-time deputy paymaster of the Army.

Dam and Hydropower projects are part of what makes the Corps the largest provider of water-based outdoor recreation in the nation. The Omaha District has several lake and river projects providing diverse recreational opportunities.

Visitors of all ages can enjoy traditional activities like hiking, boating, fishing, camping and hunting, and for those slightly more adventurous there is snorkeling, windsurfing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking and geo-caching. Regardless of your favorite outdoor activity one thing is certain, recreation enriches people's lives. A visit to an Army Corps of Engineers' recreation area can strengthen family ties and friendships; create unforgettable memories and connect people to nature that will last a lifetime.

Between 1932 and 1957, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built six main stem dams and many smaller dams along Missouri River tributaries. These, along with a system of federal and private levees, reduce flooding risks for urban and agricultural property and lives throughout the Missouri River watershed. The Omaha District estimates that this system has prevented an estimated billions in damages in today's dollars.

Many of these projects, which were built primarily for navigation, flood control or other purposes, are also used for hydropower production. The Corps is the Nation's largest single producer of hydroelectricity. Nationwide, the Corps operates 75 hydropower projects, housing 349 generator units with a total capacity of 20.7 million kilowatts, or about 3.5 percent of the Nation's total electric power production.

Recreation Area News Releases

Crest Road, the road on Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota, will be closed from 7:30 a.m. through 4:30 p.m. Monday, September 10 and Tuesday, September 11 to perform inspections on the spillway bridge. The public is asked to plan on an alternate route of travel during this time.

A draft environmental assessment for a proposal to protect cultural sites from bank erosion within the Fort George Historic District at Lake Sharpe in Stanley County, South Dakota is currently available for public review. The draft EA evaluates the environmental impacts of constructing an off-shore breakwater structure to protect cultural sites from bank erosion caused by wind/wave, and ice action. Comments must be postmarked or received no later than September 21, 2018.

With hunting season fast approaching, hunters are reminded of regulations for hunting on Gavins Point Project lands near Yankton, South Dakota. These rules are in place to help manage the public land and water resources, and for visitor safety. The areas included in these regulations are Corps of Engineers-managed lands around Lewis and Clark Lake, Lake Yankton (near Yankton, South Dakota), Audubon Bend Area (near Wynot, Nebraska), and North Alabama Bend Area (near Vermillion, Sout Dakota). Hunting is permitted outside developed recreation and operations areas unless otherwise posted. All visitors are reminded to check for current state regulations, hunting seasons, and to be aware and courteous of hunters while out in the field.

A timber stand improvement project has started on 82 acres of the Lake Yankton Island below Gavins Point Dam, near Yankton, South Dakota and is expected to be completed by November 30. Those dates may change due to weather and other factors. Visitors should not go beyond posted closures and hunters encouraged not to leave tree stands in area.

Crest Road, the road on Gavins Point Dam near Yankton, South Dakota, will be closed from 8 a.m. through 4 p.m. Monday, August 20 through Thursday, August 23 to perform maintenance on intake gates and embankment maintenance. The public is asked to plan on an alternate route of travel during this time.

The mission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is to deliver vital public and military engineering services; partnering in peace and war to strengthen our nation’s security, energize the economy and reduce risks from disasters.

About the Omaha District

The official public website of the Omaha District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers